A tool for machining surfaces of parts usually comprises a main body and a cutting, milling, or polishing edge or head. An insufficient rigidity of the main body of such a tool and the vibrations resulting therefrom when the tool is used can result in a reduced efficiency of and a reduced accuracy of the machining operation and also heating of the main body, can require a higher driving power, and the operation of such a tool may also be accompanied with considerable noise. To adapt the tool to the operation conditions, various additional devices can be used which reduce the vibration of the main body and which thus can be called vibration damping, shock-absorbing or vibration attenuating devices.
A tool for cutting material, including a main body configured as a metal rod and a cutting edge, is disclosed in the published International patent application WO 02/45892, where the main body is fitted with several damping elements. The damping elements are made of the same metal as that of the main body or of another metal and are designed as variously shaped plates that are mounted to the surface of the main body.
Separate damping plates, however, may create difficulties in the balancing of the tool and may be unreliable in operation.
In the published European patent application 1266710 a tool for machining is disclosed having a main body comprising two parts. The upper part has a cylindrical recess and the lower part has a cylindrical protrusion fitting in the cylindrical recess of the upper part with a gap. A pad made from viscous elastic material is inserted into the gap. It is stated that the pad absorbs vibration without causing heating.
Such a structure, however, may not ensure a sufficient rigidity and allows the tool to be damped only in the region of low frequencies; and therefore, the cutting rate/speed and the finish quality cannot be increased.
Another tool for machining surfaces of parts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,077 and includes a main body and a machining head, the main body being substantially made from a composite high-rigidity material including e.g. carbon fibres bonded with high molecular-weight polymer fibres, or generally “carbon fibres, kevlar fibres, glass fibres, synthetic material fibres, plastic materials enriched with extremely hard substances (silicates), sheets of carbon fibres arranged alternately with glass fibres or also sintered carbon”. The tool is designed for cutting, polishing and other machining of surfaces of glass, wood, brick, ceramics, granite and similar materials. Pieces of a composite material may generally have a vibrating and damping effect when machining such materials.
When machining metal parts, however, the rigidity and elasticity of the tool should be higher than when polishing, particularly, parts of materials such as stone, ceramics, glass, etc.